


After the Battle is Over

by gracegil



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fred Weasley Lives, fred - Freeform, fred weasley - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28862982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracegil/pseuds/gracegil
Summary: After the battle of Hogwarts, you lose your memory completely.  Can life with the Weasley family help you regain it, or will the Wizarding world be lost to you forever?I'm horrible at summaries, I'm sorry. FRED LIVES.
Relationships: Fred Weasley/Reader, Fred Weasley/You, Weasley Family (Harry Potter) & You
Kudos: 29





	After the Battle is Over

The first thing you notice is the pounding in your head. Before you can even open your eyes, the intensity makes you scrunch up your face, willing it to go away. You force your eyes open and it takes a few seconds for the room to completely come in to focus around you. You are laying in an iron-framed bed surrounded by curtain dividers. The room is brightly lit by windows that line the top of the walls. A white, soft blanket covers you and a red-headed boy is sitting in a chair at the foot of your bed, his head resting on the blanket and his right hand resting on your leg. You take a deep breath to steady the panic slowly rising in your chest as you try to remember where you are. At this small sound, the head at the end of the bed pops up and the boy looks at you, his eyes wide. 

“(y\n),” he barely breathes. You look around you, trying to figure out who he was talking to. “You’re in Saint Mungo’s.” he offers. 

“Where?” 

“Saint Mungo’s Hospital. They brought you here after the battle.” His voice is filled with worry. 

“Oh.” You reply. This information means nothing to you. “Are you a doctor?” Your eyes turn back to the boy.

“I’m- what?” He seems taken aback by your question. 

“I’m in a hospital. Are you a doctor?” You repeat. 

“What… no. No, I’m not a…. I’m George.” He shakes his head and the confusion on his face matches your own. “(y\n), do not know me?” You slowly shake your head in reply, but that small action shoots daggers down your spine and you wince again. 

“I’m getting a healer.” He pushes the tall divider aside and disappears. You look through the separated curtains to see you are in a big room filled with beds just like the one you are in. The boy returns soon with a man in a white coat and two other people. 

“Hi, (y\n), I’m Healer Bridlebooth. Your friend says you are still a little groggy and confused, its probably just from the nasty concussion. I’m going to give you a potion to sleep and maybe you will remember a little more when you wake up.” The first boy, George, exchanges a worried glance with the two other people who came in the small room, but nobody says anything. The doctor hands you a bottle and George rushes over to help you sit up and drink it. Almost immediately, the potion eases your headache, but it also begins to pull you in to a deep sleep. 

This time when you wake up, the room is dark but almost nothing else has changed. As soon as your eyes open, the red-headed boy is at your side again, worry creasing his face. You look behind him and shake your head for a moment in confusion. There are two identical faces staring back at you. The one closest to you speaks first. 

“Hey, (y\n). How are you feeling?” he asks in a whisper and grabs your hand. 

“My head hurts.” You say distractedly, your gaze still flicking between the two of them, trying to remember if they were both here earlier. 

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here earlier, I just left to change clothes. But I’m here now. Do you need anything?” He seems so sincere. 

“Are you twins?” You ask.

“Yeah… George find a healer.” The one beside you flicks his head and George disappears. “I’m Fred. Fred Weasley. And that is my brother George.” He is still holding your hand but lets go when you look at it awkwardly. George walks back in with the healer from earlier and the healer helps you sit up. 

“(Y\n),” he stands beside your bed. “How’s your head now?” 

“It really hurts.” You answer. 

“That’s still to be expected. I brought you some more potion. But what I’m more worried about right now is your memory. Do you remember your name?”

“Ummm...” you hesitate. “(y\n)?” You half state and half question. 

“Right. Last name?” the healer pushes for more information. You shake your head no and look down to avoid his gaze. “Humm.. do you know these guys?” He points to the twins. 

“They told me their names…. But… no.” you shrug your shoulders and look up at them, but you wish you hadn’t. Hurt fills their eyes and you know it is your fault. “I’m sorry.” You offer up dejectedly. 

“No, don’t be sorry. We are here to help you.” Dr. Bridlebooth says calmly. “Odds are that your memories will come back slowly over the next few days. We have a few things to try. In the meantime, here is something for your head,” He hands you a bottle, “And we can get you something to eat first, if you’re hungry.” You nod and he leaves.

You steal a quick glance at the boys, who have said nothing in the silence. A nurse walks in soon, holding a steaming bowl of broth. She places the tray on your lap and leaves you along with the twins again. The boys watch you eat and you feel awkward under their worried stares. It is a relief to finish the soup and take the potion again, except this time it doesn’t make you sleep. You readjust to lay back against the pillows.   
“I’m going to go tell everyone you’re awake.” One of them says and leaves. The other boy sits in the chair at the end of your bed and you take the chance to really look at him for the first time. He is tall and has flaming, red-orange hair. He is wearing long sleeves, but his hands and face are covered in small cuts and bruises, which triggers a memory from earlier. 

“You said… you said something about a battle yesterday?” You question. 

“What? I don’t think… oh. That must have been George.” He blushes a little. “Yeah, there was a battle at Hogwarts, but Harry killed Voldemort so-“

“Hogwarts?” You interrupt him. You wanted to question him about Harry and Voldemort too, but one thing at a time. 

“Hogwarts, yeah…. The school we went to.” Fred seems to sense your other questions before you can say them. “Voldemort, the dark lord, attacked the school to find and kill Harry Potter. You remember he was here earlier with Ginny?” You nod even though you don’t really remember much about the girl who you saw briefly. 

“Well, he, Voldemort, attacked the school to try to find Harry. There was a big battle and all his dark followers came to help him. That’s how you got hurt.” All you can do is nod and he takes this cue to stop talking so you can process all the new information. None of it feels familiar to you. Long minutes pass before you speak again. 

“Who is Ginny?” You ask. 

“Ginny, my sister. She’s your friend and a year behind you at Hogwarts. She’s dating Harry Potter, that’s who was with us earlier.” Here he stops again when he notices you have slipped off again into your own thoughts. You try to place these faces and names together, but nothing comes. 

“So… You, Ginny and Fred are all related?” you ask. 

“Yeah. Well, I’m Fred.” He shakes his head at the end of the statement as if trying to shake a thought out of his head.

“Sorry.” 

“No, it’s fine. Its- yeah. Anyway, there are seven of us Weasley kids total. Bill, Charlie, and Percy are all older than us. Bill’s married. Then there’s me and George. Then Ron and then Ginny’s the baby.” You half laugh and he smiles for the first time. “Yeah, it’s a lot.” His hand distractedly wipes across his left eyebrow. 

“Thanks.” You say and his eyes meet yours again but you both look away quickly. 

“Why don’t you get some sleep?” He suggests and you snuggle down into the covers and fall asleep quickly. 

The next time you wake up, it is daytime and your little sectioned-off room is empty. The silence is welcome this time and you are able to wake up completely before being hit with questions. However, you barely manage to sit up before a short, plump woman pushes aside the dividers. 

“Oh, good, dearest. You’re awake! How do you feel?” you just stare back, trying to place this new face. “Oh, my apologies. I’m Molly- Molly Weasley.” She places a bag on the end of your bed and takes off the straw hat she is wearing to reveal a head full of red hair. Must be a Weasley trademark, you think. 

“Hi.” 

“They said you can come home if you feel okay! Do you?” she asks again. 

“My head still hurts…. I live with you?” you ask cautiously. 

“They gave me some potion for your head. And yes, you stay with us often so we thought it would be a good place for you to come home to for a while.” She smiles warmly. 

“Not… not my home?” you question and a shadow crosses her face. 

“Well, no, dearie. You live at Hogwarts during the school year and stay with friends on holidays…” Here she hesitates. “Your parents died a few years ago, (y\n).” the information doesn’t feel like a surprise to you, but also doesn’t sadden you in the way it probably should. 

“Oh. Okay.” You furrow your eyebrows in thought. 

“Would you like to? To come home with us?” she asks hesitantly. 

“I… yes. Please.” Her comforting smile fills her face again and she opens the bag she brought. 

“Gin and ‘Mione packed you some clothes here,” she sets them out on the bed. “So I’ll step out and let you change.” She pushes the dividers closed behind her. As if controlled by another force, you stand and obediently start changing into the jeans and t-shirt Molly brought. You tie up the shoes and step outside, joining her. 

“Perfect,” She takes the bag from you. “Ready?” She asks and you nod. Molly leads the way through the double doors at the end of the hall and you follow her downstairs and outside to where one of the twins is leaning up against a blue car waiting with another man.   
“Ah, there’s Fred.” She says, turning their way. “And my husband, Arthur.” She smiles, answering the question you hated to ask. You can’t explain it, but you trust Molly and her presence is comforting to you, like a mothers. Fred opens the car door for you and settles you in before taking the bag from Molly and crawling in the other side of the car. The ride to their home is long and mostly silent, only interrupted by Molly’s excited interjections. 

“Ginny will be so excited to see you, the Burrow just isn’t the same without you!” or “Hermione said you can have her room, but Charlie insisted you stay in his since that’s where you always stay on break!” 

“Hermione?” You barely whisper the question to Fred in the back seat beside you. 

“Oh yeah. Uh, Hermione Granger. You’re friends with her. And She’s dating Ron, though nobody knows why,” he adds the joke on the end, but seems stiff and his forced laugh is short and strained. 

“Thanks,” you say but don’t ask any more questions for the whole ride home. The countryside flies by out the widow and it is almost two hours before Arthur slows the car to a stop in front of the strangest looking house you’ve ever seen. It is built straight up in a way that makes you wonder how all the hap-hazard levels stay together. Corners jut out here-and-there and everything is stacked like books on an end table, ready to fall off. 

“Welcome home!” Molly announces and the four of your crawl out of the car. Fred takes your bag and your elbow and leads you into the full kitchen where no less than ten people are waiting for you. Exclamations of happiness fill the room and you involuntarily step back toward the door. George is there, but he is the only one you know. He quickly introduces the others and an awkward silence settles on the room as everyone stares at you expectedly. You look at Molly for help and she senses your desperation. 

“Right, dearie, well let’s get you settled.” She leads you through the kitchen and living room and up the rickety, uneven stairs. You can feel head throbbing along with your heartbeat and you are thankful when she soon opens a door to reveal a small, cozy bedroom for you. She shows you where everything is before leaving you to get some sleep. You crawl on the bed and curl up in a tight ball. You let the tears flow freely now as the reality hits you. Fear eases into to your mind and you cry yourself to sleep in a stranger’s bed in your new home. 

*** 

When you wake up, it takes you a few minutes to remember where you are. The Burrow, Molly called it yesterday. You lay there for a long time trying to calm the rising panic. Your headache is more of a sharp pain in your temple now, but it is almost all you can manage to concentrate around it. A gentle knock at the door interrupts your thoughts. 

“Come in,” you answer. A girls head- Ginny- peeks around the door. 

“Hey, sorry, did I wake you?” You shake your head. “Good. Do you want something to eat? Or some tea?” 

“I’d love tea.” You answer and force yourself to leave the warm bed and comforting, quiet bedroom. You follow Ginny downstairs and back to the kitchen where you find Molly and Hermione sitting at the table. 

“(y\n)!” Molly smiles kindly. “How are you?” 

“I’m good, thanks.” You accept the cup of tea and take a long, hot sip before anyone speaks again. “Do you… do you still have any of that potion for a headache?” You ask Molly awkwardly. 

“Oh, of course! I should have offered.” She leaves the room briefly and returns with a familiar looking bottle. “They said to take this as needed. It shouldn’t make you as sleepy as the one you took at Mungo’s.” She hands you the bottle and you drink gratefully. Again, the potion helps almost instantly and you sit quietly as the three women converse around you. 

“Where… where is everyone else?” You ask after a while. 

“Hogwarts.” Ginny answers. “They went to help with the clean-up. Mom said they had to keep the house quiet for you today.” 

“Thanks.” You settle back into a quiet, watchful gaze as the women go about their morning tasks. Molly starts lunch, announcing the boys will be back soon. Dread fills your stomach at this. You can’t face all their pity-filled faces at once. 

“I think I’ll go lie down for a little while.” You say and quickly head up the stairs. Even with the door closed, you can hear when the boys appear for mealtime. The house fills with commotion and laughter, but you don’t leave the bedroom. After a while, Ginny knocks again and enters with a plate of food. She sets it on the dresser.

“Just in case you’re hungry.” She smiles sweetly, her face a copy of Molly’s. Ginny leaves without another word and you finally fall asleep without touching the meal. Your dreams are full of flashing nightmares that include the faces you have met in the Burrow. 

The next few days pass in much the same way. You venture downstairs for mealtimes but spend most of your time with Ginny and Hermione. They willingly answer your questions, though there is often a hesitant tone to their voices, as if they are carefully choosing the words they say to you. Harry comes home with a wand one night, saying the found it at Hogwarts. It is a thin, straight piece of wood with a carved vine design on the handle. You hold it awkwardly before admitting that you didn’t know how to use it. Everyone jumped whole-heartedly on the task of reteaching you spells. They were excited to find something to help you with and you were excited to have something to occupy your mind. 

The residents of the Weasley home slowly slip into a routine. Arthur and Percy return to work at the Ministry. Charlie returns to Romania, though he often visits on the weekend, and Bill returns to working for Gringotts. The twins take turns working at their joke shop, but you notice they never go together; at least one is always at the house. Ron and Harry leave most mornings and split their days between helping at the joke shop and cleaning up Hogwarts. Most days, it is just you, Ginny, Hermione, Molly, and one of the twins at home for the majority of the day. You are thankful for the quiet this brings and spend much of your time learning spells or watching the other three practice new skills. 

You awake in a sweaty panic almost every night now, pulled out of sleep by nightmares. You often find yourself clutching the covers tightly around you or wake to the sound of your own voice filling the quiet room. Sleep becomes more difficult and you often spend most of the night lying awake, trying to piece together memories. 

One night when you actually manage to fall asleep, your peaceful slumber is broken and you can see flashes of light outside a large, open window in your dream. No, no… get out, you know this is a dream, but you can’t pull yourself out of it. Your body tightens instinctively as panic creeps in and takes over your senses. In the dream, patches of glowing embers are falling outside the window and there is shouting around you. A rumble shakes the floor beneath you and you turn around to see five wizards dueling. Three of them wear dark hoods and their faces are hidden by deep shadows. The other two wizards have their backs to you, but you see the trademark Weasley-red hair and step forward to reinforce them. The three of you counter spell after spell as the hooded figures throw them your way as fast as they can mutter the words. Another wizard walks around the corner and joins the barrage of curses against you and you are suddenly knocked off your feet. You hit the stone floor with a thud and wake up in Charlie’s room, breathing heavily and covered in a cold sweat. 

It takes a few minutes to calm your shaking hands and to talk yourself down from the fear that holds you tightly. You get up and quietly walk up the stairs to the bathroom to splash cold water on your face. You reach out to open the door before you realize it is already cracked and you can see Fred’s reflection in the mirror. He is wearing a tank-top undershirt and shaving but he doesn’t seem to notice you standing there for a moment. You furrow your brows in confusion when you notice a tattoo winding across his right shoulder and halfway down his arm. It is delicate vines with leaves coming off of them. At that moment, Fred meets your gaze in the mirror and you blush a deep red, knowing you have no right to invade his privacy this way. He opens the door all the way and wipes his face on a towel. 

“Sorry, didn’t hear you. Do you need in here?” He asks. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” You don’t dare look up and meet his gaze. “No, never mind.” You say and turn on your heel to go back to the safety of your room. In your haste, your foot slips on the uneven steps and you slide down a few stairs before you are able to stop yourself. Your head bangs harshly on the top step and your vision clouds with stars of popping color. You let out a moan before you can stop yourself and your hands fly to your head. It feels like it might explode again and the staircase around you is starting to be edged in by black. 

“(y\n)!” Fred shouts and drops to a knee beside you. You hear a door open somewhere, but the sound is distant and all you can focus on is the pain spreading down your spine. “Help me get her to the bed.” Fred commands someone and you feel yourself being lifted and placed back on the bed in Charlie’s room. 

“What happened?” A voice asks. 

“She slipped.” Fred sighs. “(y\n)? Can you hear me?” He takes your hand and leans over you. 

“Potion. On the dresser.” You manage to say through gasps, trying to catch your breath against the sharp stabbing behind your eyes. You feel a hand pull you into a sitting position and a cool glass bottle touches your lips. 

“Drink.” A voice commands and you obey. The potion eases the pain to a bearable level, but barely. “Do you want water?” Fred asks and you start to shake your head ‘no’ but end with a moan. That small action set a tingling pain back down your neck. 

“She needs to go to Saint Mungo’s.” You open your eyes for the first time and see the other voice is Harry. He is wearing pajamas and his hair is wild. 

“No.” You answer. 

“(y\n), that could have made your concussion worse.”

“No!” You say more firmly. “No hospital. Sleep.” Even though sleep won’t bring relief, you don’t want to relive your days in the hospital. 

“Stay here, Harry. I’m going to get mum.” You hear Fred leave the room. You curl up in a ball, tucking your knees under your chin and Harry pulls a blanket over you. 

“Thanks.” You whisper. Fred returns quickly with Molly and the three of them discuss you accident in muted whispers. 

“I’m okay.” You say again and they all look at you as if they forgot you were in the room. 

“Just get some sleep dear,” Molly walks over to the bed. “We can discuss what to do in the morning,” She smiles and you let yourself fall into a deep sleep. The dreams return almost as soon as you close your eyes and you step back into the nightmare that woke you up the first time. This time, dream-you recognizes Fred dueling on your left, but you don’t have time to see who the other Weasley is before you hear the new wizard speak. 

“Oh, look. More Weasleys.” He growls and strides towards the three of you. He lifts his wand and points it directly at Fred. You feel your feet moving before you can even think about what is going on. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion. 

“Percy!” Fred yells and they step closer to block the attack. You push Fred aside just as one of the deatheaters yells the killing curse. You try to counter, but the force is still enough to throw you back into the wall a few yards behind you. Your head hits the stone wall with a sharp crack and you feel yourself crumple on the floor. 

“No!” The boys yell at the same time and you try to push yourself up, try to go help, but your vision is blurry and the whole room is spinning. The pain in your head is quickly spreading down your neck and arms. You push yourself up but immediately collapse back onto your arms, catching yourself. You can still hear fighting around you, but it is starting to sound distant and muffled even though you know they haven’t moved. You throw up and hear someone yell your name. The nausea consumes you and you fall over on your side, unable to even hold yourself up anymore. The pain in your dream feels real and suddenly snaps you awake. You barely manage to roll over to the side of the bed before you throw up on the floor. 

“Woah, hey, (y\n) It’s okay, it’s okay.” Fred is at your side almost instantly- he must have been in the room. “Mum!” He yells and can’t mask the fear in his voice. You throw up again and he pulls your hair out of your face. You hear, but don’t see, Molly bustle into the room. She cleans up the floor with a quick spell and dips a cloth in the glass of water by your bed. She places the cool rag on your face before speaking. 

“Now dearie, what’s wrong? What hurts?” She asks calmly. 

“Everything.” You gasp between sobs. Your whole body hurts, but your head feels like it may explode. A hot, throbbing pain forces your eyes shut again and you take a deep breath to try to calm the panic. The room starts to spin around you and you reach out for something to steady yourself. A hand grabs your own and holds tightly, but Fred is shaking as much as you are.   
“I’m right here, I’m here,” Fred says, his voice deep with emotion. 

“I can’t-“ You start but the room slips away and everything goes black. 

***   
You wake up in the familiar room of Saint Mungo’s hospital. This time, no dividers are around your bed and the sun streams in brightly. Hermione and Ginny are standing at the end of your bed watching you. You take a few deep breaths to steady yourself before talking. 

“What happened?” You asked. 

“You hit your head on the stairs…” Ginny starts and you nod your head to show you remember. That small action is excruciating, but you try to focus on her words. “When you woke up, you were sick and crying really hard. You passed out and Mum and Fred brought you here.” 

“This morning?” You ask. The girls exchange worried looks before Hermione answers.

“Three days ago.” Before you can ask anything else, a healer walks over to your bed. 

“Well, hello there, Ms. (y\L\n).” He smiles kindly. “How are you feeling?” 

“My head hurts, but it’s not as bad as before.” 

“Good, good. Well, we kept you sedated a few days to give your brain time to heal. That was a pretty nasty hit after your other injury didn’t have time to heal completely. Anyway, we have a new potion for you that I think should help more. I thought you could stay here for the day and try it out. If everything is still okay, you can go home tonight. How does that sound?” You nod in agreement, still fuzzy from being out for so long. The doctor dismisses himself and leaves you alone with Ginny and Hermione. The shift awkwardly for a minute before Hermione says she is leaving. 

“I’m going to tell them what the healer said and get you some clothes. I’ll be fast.” She directs the last part to Ginny, who only nods and sits in the chair by the bed when Hermione leaves.

“Do you need anything?” Ginny smiles sweetly, but her eyebrows are furrowed in worry. 

“No, thanks…” You trail off. “You said its been three days?” 

“Yeah. You really scared us this time.” 

“I’m sorry.” You say simply, but it isn’t enough. “I never meant to be a burden… I can just go… somewhere.” You really don’t know where you would go, but you know it isn’t their responsibility to take care of you. 

“What?! No! (y\n), you aren’t a burden. You are family.” Ginny seems sincere, but you still worry that the family has taken on more than they intended by inviting you to stay.

“But I know-“ You start but she interrupts you. 

“No, (y\n). I’m serious. We wouldn’t want you anywhere else, especially not when you are hurt like this. We want you at home.” Ginny insists and you give up, the headache making it hard to focus for too long. 

“Thanks.” Is all you can say, but again, you know it isn’t enough. The two of you spend the afternoon in a comfortable silence until Hermione returns with Molly and a bag of clothes. You change and the three lead you downstairs to where Arthur is waiting at the car again, just like last time you were here. They make friendly conversation on the way home, but you mostly stay silent, watching the city go by. Ron, Harry, and George are at the house to greet you, but you almost immediately go to bed. You curl up on the bed and again let the fear take over and tears fill your eyes. You feel so afraid, so scared, and so, so alone. 

The next few weeks pass much the same as the ones before you went to Saint Mungo’s. The boys go off to work each morning and you wander around the Burrow sort of aimlessly. The weekends are the only time when the house fills full, but even then Bill, Charlie, and Fred are often missing. Fred’s visits home have become less and less frequent, with him and George swapping off less than before. You are secretly glad since you can barely look at him after your accident. He caught you staring at his tattoo and then had to pick you off the floor after your clumsy fall. Your face still turned red at the memory. One weekend when everyone is home, Ron and Harry build a big bonfire outside. George brings a potion from the shop that turns the flames different colors. Everyone seems happier than you remember seeing them since you have been home as you around the fire and listen to them tell stories about their childhoods or times they had funny magical mistakes. 

After a while, you are shivering from the cold and Ginny suggests the two of you go grab sweaters for everyone. She leads you to the trunk in the living room and you pull on the first sweater you can find and grab a few more to take outside with you. You and Ginny head back to the fire and hand out sweaters to the others sprawled out on the ground. You walk around the roaring fire and Fred looks up at you with a shocked expression. You hold out a sweater for him to take but he just stares at you. 

“Fred?” you ask but he just gets up and walks away. “What was that about?” You asked Ron, who was sitting nearby. He just shook his head but you saw his expression change when he saw what you were wearing. You looked down and noticed for the first time that the sweater had a large F knitted into the middle of it. It was the sweater Molly made for Fred. 

“Crap,” you mutter under your breath and drop the other sweaters where Fred had been sitting and run after him.

“Fred! Hey Fred!” You run to catch up but he slows considerably to wait on you. He doesn’t face you though. “Fred, I’m sorry. I just grabbed a sweater I didn’t realize it was yours.” He turns around now and you are taking it off to hand back. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t even look. I should have asked.” You take a step towards him and hold out the striped sweater. 

“It’s not…” he stops himself. “I never mind you borrowing my stuff, (y\n).” You just stare back in confusion and watch his shoulders drop. He puts his hands in his pockets like he doesn’t know what to do with them. “Really, it’s not that. Put it back on.” He insists and you obey, staring at him in the dark yard. The fire is still crackling and popping but the conversation has mostly died down to a quiet mumble. 

“Let’s go back.” Fred says and walks past you back towards the fire. You follow and settle back down next to Ginny and Hermione. The girls exchange odd glances when you return but say nothing, much to your relief. You stay mostly quiet for the rest of the night, still mulling over the strange interaction with Fred. The next morning, Ron proposed a Quidditch match. 

“Who wants to challenge me? Or are you too afraid you won’t score against me?” Ron jokingly challenged Harry, but he took the bait and charged out the back door laughing. 

“You can only say that because (Y\n) isn’t playing!” Harry yelled, pointing at you. “We all know she could beat any of us!” Everyone laughs, but you blush. You can’t even remember how to ride a broom, much less play a game in the air. You settle on the bench by the back door and watch them divide up the teams. Ron, Bill, Charlie, and Ginny face off against Hermione, Harry, Percy, and Fred. George declines to play and joins you on the bench instead. 

“We will be the cheering section!” He yells as the players rise in the sky. More quietly, George turns to you, “50 quid says Ginny’s team will win.” You both laugh and turn your attention to the game above you. The two of you quietly watch the match before you get the nerve to ask George about the dream you had. 

“Hey, George? Can I ask you a question?” You ask hesitantly. 

“Sure, what’s up?” he turns his attention to you. 

“The dream I had a few weeks ago….?” You start and he nods to show you he knows which one you are talking about. “Well, I’m not so sure it was a dream… I kind of think it is a memory. But I don’t know how to tell.” There, you spilled it all out. No take-backs now. 

“You can ask one of us.” He says like it is the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Well… It was a fight. I was in a big stone hall and there were these wizards there in dark capes. Fred and Percy were there. One of the wizards tried to attack Fred and… and I… Well, they hit me and I was thrown against the wall. That’s when I woke up before Mungo’s.” you spill it all out before realizing how crazy you must sound. You look up at George and realize he is no longer looking at you, but at the ground now. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said… I know it wasn’t… Couldn’t…” You start trying to backtrack. 

“It happened.” Is all he says, but he turns his attention back to the game in the air. You feel like an elephant is on your chest and the familiar fear creeps back in. “It was at Hogwarts. That’s how you got hurt.” George still avoids your eyes. 

“Oh.” Is all you can say for a long time. The players above continue to scream and laugh as the game continues. “Is that why Fred acts so… whatever… around me?” You barely breathe the words, but George’s head snaps to look at you. 

“What?” He asks. 

“He never comes home like you do… and last night. That was weird. Did I make him mad about something?” 

“No.” George says sternly. “No, Fred isn’t upset with you. He just…. He changed a lot after the battle. He had to watch so many people get hurt or die. People he cared about. Loved. He just… It’s hard for him to be here with… everyone.” George looks at the ground again. “Games over.” He says and walks away as the players begin to dismount their brooms and head your way. You see George walk over to Fred and the two of them walk into the house as you get swept up in the excitement of the match. 

After this, you often seek out George after you have nightmares or flashes of memories and he tells you if they were real or not. He doesn’t always know, but tries his best to answer your questions. While the next few weeks bring some comfort and friendship in the burrow, you still wake up from nightmares almost every night. Some nights they aren’t bad, and other nights they leave you gasping for air as sobs shake your whole body and tears stream down your cheeks. Sometimes, the dreams steer you to Ginny and Hermione’s rooms where you can ask if it was a memory or just a nightmare. Other nights, you lie awake in bed until daylight, when you get up and make a cup of tea in the kitchen. 

One night you wake up to your own screams in the dark. The nightmare pulls you awake and your hands are shaking as panic fills your senses. You try to calm yourself down, but you are so disoriented when you wake up that you can’t remember where you are. 

(y\n)?” Fred bursts in the door and rushes over to where you sit on the bed, tears streaming down your face. “What’s wrong, (y\n)? What hurts?” He places his hands on your shoulders and holds you. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” You gasp out. “Just…a….dream. I’m sorry…. Wake you up.” Instead of calming down, the panic just intensifies and Fred sits on the bed next to you. You gasp for breath between the waves of panic that hold your body. He pulls you to his chest and wraps a protective arm around your shoulders. You give in and fall against his shoulder, your tears leaving a wet spot on his shirt as sobs shake your whole body.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. You’re safe.” Fred repeats again and again as he strokes your hair. It takes a long time for you to calm down completely and you just sit, your head on his shoulder, for what feels like hours. Eventually, you sit up and move away to crawl back under the covers. Fred stands up to leave. 

“No.” You start, awkwardly. “You don’t have to. I mean, you could stay? I know you don’t…” The words spill out before you can stop yourself. You don’t want to be alone, but you wish it were anyone else, anyone but Fred, here with you. He nods silently and sits on the bed next to you. He sits up against the bedframe and you snuggle down beneath the covers, your back touching his leg. He strokes your hair until you fall asleep again, more peaceful than you can remember in a long time. 

*** 

The next few weeks pass in the same way, everyone in a comfortable routine at the Burrow. The house seems to be a stopping place for many. Friends stop in almost daily for a cup of tea or just a hello. You try to remember all the faces since each greats you kindly, but they become a blur in your mind. You slowly become more comfortable around George and ask him more questions about the nightmares that pull you awake so often. 

“Are dragons real?” You ask one night while watching him play Ron in Wizards chess. 

“Yes, (y\n).” He laughs and you blush. 

“I know you told me about Charlie… I just thought you might be making it up.” You confess and Ron looks at you. 

“So what made you decide we weren’t lying?” He asks.

“I didn’t think you were lying…” You try to backtrack. “Whatever. I had a dream one night and Harry was flying away from one.” The boys exchange quick glances before Ron answers you. 

“Yeah…. Yeah, they’re real. Harry did have to fight one at the Tri-Wizard tournament. Maybe that’s what you were dreaming about?” 

“Yeah, I guess….” You trail off, lost down a trail of thoughts as Ron and George continue the game. A few weeks later, all the kids helped prepare the Burrow to celebrate Arthur’s birthday. You, Ginny, and Hermione spend the entire morning baking and decorating a cake and the other kids start appearing in the afternoon to help make everything perfect. Charlie and Bill come in from Romania, bringing exciting tales of dragons and goblins. 

“Hey, (y\n), Fred’n George were supposed to bring some trick candles from the shop. Can you go ask George for them?” Ron asks and you start up the stairs in search of George and the magic candles. You knock on the door of the twins room and a voice yells for you to come in. 

“Hey, George, Ron said you had…” Your voice trails off when you open the door. The voice is Fred, who stands there in the middle of getting dressed. He an unbuttoned dress shirt hangs open and you notice he is wearing a long, gold necklace with a single ring on the end. This catches you off guard and you stare at him before he quickly buttons his shirt to cover the necklace. You blush a deep red and try to stammer out the rest of your sentence. 

“uhhh… Ron. Ron sent me to get candles. From George.” 

“I think he went to Bill’s room,” Fred answers but doesn’t look away from you. 

“Thanks.” You quickly shut the door behind you and race up the stairs to look for George. Your cheeks feel hot and you stop halfway the flight of stairs to lean against the wall and catch your breath. Why? Why, (y\n), why? You ask yourself. You kept running in to awkward moments with Fred even though he tried so hard to avoid you. George bounds down the stairs beside you and touches your arm to get your attention.

“(y\n)?” His voice is worried. “Are you okay?”

“What?” You say, forcing yourself out of your thoughts. “Yeah! Yeah, sorry. Do you have the candles?” You smile so George can see everything is okay, but your mind is still racing. 

“Yeah….” He doesn’t sound convinced. “Let’s go. Dad and Percy should be home soon.” The two of you head to the kitchen and you busy yourself with last minute decorations. Dinner is a fabulous affair. Molly cooked everyone’s favorites and all the kids were there along with friends you had seen or heard about over the last few weeks. The table was loud and filled with joyous outbursts of laughter. You tried your best to join in, but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something was missing. You look up once to catch Fred staring at you, but he turns away as soon as your eyes catch. Molly brings out the cake and Ron places a single candle in the center. 

“Ron! No!” George shouts but it is too late. Ron lights the candle and icing shoots out the top, completely covering Fred and Ginny. “It’s upside down.” George states before the whole table erupts in laughter at the two figures now covered in blue icing. Even Fred and Ginny are forced to laugh a little as they head upstairs to change. The rest of the party moves in to the living room to visit. Ginny reappears and sits by the fire, leaning against Harry.

You sit on one end of the sofa, knees tucked under your chin, listening to the conversations around you. Fred comes back downstairs in a plain t-shirt and sits next to you on the couch, but faces away to talk to Charlie about some dragon Charlie discovered. The conversation around you fades into a blur as you get lost in your own thoughts. You are absentmindedly trying to balance the tip of your wand on your finger when everyone in the room suddenly laughs loudly, the sound pulling you out of your thoughts. You jump a little and the handle of your wand falls against Fred’s right arm next to you.   
“Sorry.” You say and reach over to grab it, but freeze when you notice Fred’s tattoo for the second time. The tips of the vines peek out from his shirt sleeve and you realize why they mesmerized you the first time you saw. His arm matches the design carved into your wand. The room completely fades away around you this time and your breath quickens as you focus on the wand resting on his arm. 

“When did you get that?” You barely breathe the words, not even sure he can hear them. 

“Two years ago.” Fred barely turns his head to you and whispers the answer just as quietly. Your mind starts to race with memories that are flashing back like fireworks in the sky. “(y\n)?” He breathes, searching your face. You shake your head and stand up, pulling his arm behind you. 

“Come.” You say and he follows you through the kitchen and out the back door like a pet on a leash. You stop in the middle of the yard and your breath keeps coming in quick, uneven gasps as your mind sorts through the memories still flooding into your head. 

“(y\n)?” Fred asks again. He stands in front of you, one hand still held by your own. This time, he makes no attempt to step away. His eyes search your face for some sign that you are okay. “Please, tell me what is wrong.” His voice is full of worry. 

“I remember.” Is all you manage to say. You look up at his face and your eyes begin to fill with tears. “Fred. Your tattoo… I remember. I remember everything.” His face remains expressionless for a few more minutes before he reaches out to wrap his arms around you. 

“Oh my god.” His voice is a horse whisper and his hands are now shaking as he pulls you close. You return the embrace and stand there, wrapped in his protective arms. 

“I remember. I remember. I remember,” You repeat the words again and again through tears. Because you finally do. You remember Hogwarts and classes and Voldemort but most of all you remember Fred Weasley. Fred, the boy you saved and the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. It barely feels real to you after the months of distance between the two of you. He kisses the top of your head before pulling away enough to look in your eyes. 

“Oh, my love,” Fred whispers and you smile at his words. You stand on your tip-toes to plant a gentle peck on his lips, but he responds with a much more firm kiss. “I’m so, so, sorry.” He breathes against your lips and you pull away in confusion. 

“Sorry?” 

“That this happened to you. I’m sorry you were hurt. I’m sorry you forgot everyone. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” His shoulders slump with the last words. 

“No. No. I’m not.” You shake your head and smile up at him, realizing how true the words are. “I’m not, Fred, because this moment, here, with you, is worth everything to me. You were worth it all. And so much more. I would do it again if it that’s what it took to save you.” You bury your face in his shirt again and pull him close. 

“I love you.” His voice cracks with emotion and he kisses your head again. 

“I love you too,” You whisper against his chest. The two of you stand in the yard for what feels like forever, but not long enough. You shiver from the cool night air and Fred beaks away to look at you. 

“I’ll go get you a coat.” He turns back to the house, but you grab his hand. 

“No.” You can’t let him leave. Not yet. You just got him back. “I’ll come with you. Besides, everyone is probably worried. We’ve been out here a long time.” You laugh when Fred blushes a little at your words. 

“Yeah, I guess.” He puts one arm around your shoulder and you put your arm around his waist and you both walk to the back door. 

“Wait.” You pull Fred to a stop right before the two of you enter the warm kitchen. This time, you feel yourself blush and you place your hand on his chest right where you saw the ring earlier. Fred raises his eyebrows in surprise but let’s go of you to reach up and take off the necklace. He slips the ring off and holds it between two fingers. Even in the dark, you can see his face flush a deep red and an embarrassed smile tugs on his lips. 

“You saw this earlier.” It is a statement, not a question. You nod yes. “Is that what made you remember?” 

“Partially.” You smile. “But your tattoo too. I saw my wand next to it tonight and realized it’s the same pattern.”

“That’s why I got it. Keeps you close…” Fred blushes again and looks at you almost in disbelief. “I would have walked around shirtless from day one if I had known that was the trick.” You both laugh as you start to feel the stiffness leave Fred. He is letting go of months of worry and guilt over you and the humorous Fred you love is beginning to reappear. He gently takes your left hand and slips the ring on your finger right where it belongs. “They took it off when we brought you into Mungo’s,” he tells you, but you don’t remember that part. You wrap your arms around him again and hold him close before turning to walk back to the party inside. He gently kisses you one more time before opening the door and leading you into the kitchen. 

Butterflies flutter in your stomach as you make your way to the living room. The conversation stops and all eyes turn to the two of you when you appear at the door. 

“What’s wrong, Fred dear?” Molly asks and you realize Fred’s eyes are still red in the soft light of the living room. 

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” Fred looks at you and you nod back, giving him permission to tell everyone. “Uh, she remembers.” He smiles down at you and pulls you closer. “She remembers everything.” He looks back to everyone sitting in a stunned silence staring at you. Ginny’s gaze meets your own. 

“What?” She asks. You just nod and smile back, happier than you can ever remember being. Ginny and Hermione jump up from their places on the floor and embrace you tightly. You hug them back, but never let go of Fred’s steady hand. Everyone in the room comes forward to congratulate you and hug the both of you. Fred’s smile is wider than you can ever remember seeing and he keeps looking at you and shaking his head as in disbelief. 

“Oh! One more thing!” You smile up at Fred. “I spent enough time apart from this man to know I never want to do it again.” You hold up the ring on your finger for everyone to see and you are met with a fresh round of squeals and congratulations. Eventually, everyone settles back in to their seats to discuss the last few months.   
You sit on the couch with Fred again, except this time you curl up under his arm and rest your head on his shoulder. You retell the last few months from your view in a way you haven’t been able to before. Fred hugs you closer when you mention the second trip to Saint Mungo’s when he was the one to find you. Everyone laughs on cue when you reveal that it was Fred’s tattoo that sparked the memories and Molly huffs- she knows any complaints she has against tattoos will never hold water again since they brought you back. The guests stay for hours and it is well after midnight before the family begins making their way upstairs to their rooms. Fred stops outside your bedroom door, the two of you still tightly holding hands. 

“I’m… I’m not quite ready for you to leave.” You confess. 

“Then I won’t.” Fred opens the bedroom door and you crawl into bed, snuggling deep under the covers. He sits next to you, leaning on the bedframe like he did before. Except this time he holds you close and you drape an arm over his stomach. You fall asleep quickly to Fred’s steady breathing and comforting grip around your shoulders. 

When you wake up, your head is on Fred’s chest and you are snuggled in under his arm. His breathing is steady and measured and you know he is still asleep without even looking up at him. You savor the warmth of his body next to yours, the still calm that Fred brings you, even asleep. You shift your head to look at his face and he breathes in deeply, the small action enough to wake him. He opens his eyes and smiles down at you before planting a gentle, but prickly, kiss on your forehead. 

“Good morning, beautiful.” His arms pull you in tighter and you throw an arm back across his chest. “No nightmares?” His voice is deep and rumbly after hours of sleep.   
“No nightmares.” You answer before you hear, and feel, his stomach growl against your ear. “Hungry?” You laugh. 

“Yeah, how about you?” 

“Starving,” you smile and the two of you get up and stumble downstairs in the early morning light. The kitchen is still littered with party decorations and you tidy up a little while Fred makes you both eggs and a cup of tea. The two of you enjoy a quiet breakfast before Arthur and Molly bustle in the kitchen.

“Oh, good morning.” Molly says, surprised to see the two of you up so early. She notices you and Fred holding hands across the table and her eyes fill with tears again. “Oh, (y\n), dear!” She hugs you again and you and Arthur exchange knowing glances. You are sure the days ahead will be filled with similar outbursts as everyone gets used to you and Fred being inseparable again. The kitchen slowly fills as the family comes downstairs and everyone spends a long morning laughing around the table. 

You spend most of the next few days next to Fred. He is more fiercely protective of you than before, but you relish his closeness. The way he is always watching you now feels comforting and safe. You tag along to the joke shop most mornings and pull Fred to bed with you at night. The nightmares don’t disappear completely, but Fred is always there when you jump awake. His steady arms pull you close and quiet the panic that dragged you awake. Eventually, Ginny and Hermione go back to Hogwarts for their last term and you move into the second apartment above the twins’ shop. You worry at first because you have never lived alone before, but you really aren’t alone with the boys just across the hall and they make sure to leave the door unlocked in case you needed them. 

*** epilogue 

You and Molly plan a simple and sweet wedding for the following spring. You want it in the garden, just like Bill and Fleur’s. The week before the wedding, you come home later than planned to find Fred sitting at the top of the stairs watching the door. 

“(Y\n).” He bounds down the stairs to greet you. 

“What’s wrong?” You ask when you see the look on his face. Fred blushes in response and pulls you close. 

“Nothing…. I… Was just….” He stumbles over his words. “You were late. I was worried.” He finally simply states and you feel butterflies in his stomach. As carefree and fun-loving your fiancé seemed, he still worried when you were an hour late. Your first instinct is to laugh at his worry before you remember what the last year must have been like for him. Fred almost did lose you. He had to sit by your unconscious body in the hospital more than once. For the first time you reverse your positions and wonder what it would have been like if Fred had been the one injured. Images flash through your mind of him sitting next to you, completely indifferent to the way you loved him. You see him getting close to your sister in the way you befriended George. You see his limp body thrown against the wall during the battle of Hogwarts. You wrap your arms around his stomach and bury your face in his chest. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll send an owl next time.” You whisper against his heartbeat and you feel his head nod against the top of yours. He reaches down for your shopping bag and takes your right hand in his to lead you upstairs when he suddenly stops and notices the bandage on your right hand. 

“What happened?” panic edges his voice. 

“No! Nothing.” You say quickly and smile to calm his fears. “Really. Come upstairs and I’ll tell you.” You lead the way up to your room and sit on the edge of the bed to remove the white gauze covering your ring finger. His eyes are still searching your face in worry until he sees your finger. 

“I had an idea.” You start shyly. “I don’t want to forget you again. Your tattoo is what brought me back to you, so I decided to do the same.” You hold up you hand and point out the new tattoo on your ring finger, almost hidden against your middle finger. It barely shows, but tears brim in Fred’s eyes almost immediately. It is a perfect drawing of his wand. 

“They took off my ring, but this will always be with me. You will always be with me.” You know your words sound cheesy, but Fred understands the sentiment. He pulls you close and the two of you sit in a comfortable silence for a long time. 

“I love you.” He whispers. 

“I love you too.” 

After the wedding, Fred moves across the hall with you and everything feels completely right. George is nearby and often joins for supper. Their joke shop is doing well and they are looking into opening another one in Hogsmead. 

You watch Fred come back to life if the joke shop and laugh when their new tester products backfire and leave both of the twins covered in mud instead of snowflakes. You can still see the effects of the battle in yourself and the twins, but you all help each other through the hard nights. 

A few months pass and the headaches and waves of nausea return. Fred walks in one morning to find you curled up on the bathroom floor where the cool tile feels good against your hot, flushed cheeks. 

“Oh my god.” You hear him breathe and you jump. You didn’t hear him walk in the room. 

“I’m fine. I’m fine. Probably just a bug.” You insist again and again as Fred bends down to help you sit up. He bustles around the small bathroom, first wiping your face with a cool, wet cloth and then pressing a glass of water to your lips. Fred is such a good caretaker and you selfishly wish you could have seen that when you got injured a year ago. 

“I’m taking you to Saint Mungo’s.” He insists. 

“No, Fred, no.” You push yourself up on the edge of the bathtub. “I’m sure it’s just a bug. If I still feel bad tomorrow, I’ll go. Ginny and I are supposed to go shopping. We can just stop in for a check-up.” 

“I don’t want to take any chances.” Fred isn’t dropping the matter and a memory flashes in your mind of the last time you insisted he not take you to the hospital. You ended up unconscious for three days. 

“I hear you, but I think they will tell me it is just a stomach bug. I’ll stay in bed today and see how I feel later. Deal?” You can see the hesitancy on his face but he eventually agrees with you. Fred picks you up and takes you to the bed. 

“I can walk, Fred.” You force a little laugh even though you still feel sick. 

“But now you don’t have to.” He kisses your forehead and pulls the blanket over you. “Go to sleep. I’ll be here if you need me. George can take care of the shop today.” Fred walks around to the other side of the bed and sits next to you. You feel his gaze on the back of your head but fall asleep quickly. When you wake up, the room is dark and Fred is gone. You rush to the bathroom as a wave of nausea hits harder than before. Fred walks in to the rom behind you, a glass of juice in his hand. You see him glance at the bed and then his eyes find you in the bathroom floor again. 

“(y\n)?” He sets the glass down on the dresser and walks over to where you are. He pulls your hair out of your face as you throw up again. You moan as your head throbs. 

“Just a bug.” You insist again and walk back to bed. 

“Does your head hurt? What about anything else? Is it like last time? Do you need a potion?” His questions come without pause like one long sentence. 

“My head hurts a little,” You confess. When you see the worry in his face, you add, “but that is a symptom of a stomach bug.” You hate to see him worried like this. “Is that for me?” You nod at the juice to try to distract him. 

“What? Yeah,” he looks back to see what you are referencing. Fred brings you the juice and watches you closely as you drink it. He seems to get lost in his thoughts and you can practically see images of you, unconscious, flashing through his mind. 

“Hey.” You try to pull him out of his thoughts. “Hey. Look at me.” You put one hand under his chin and force his attention back to you. “I’m okay. I’ll tell you if I’m not. Maybe I’m just being a big baby so I can stay in bed and have you bring me juice,” you joke trying to lighten the mood. It seems to work and Fred smiles at you. 

“George is cooking supper. Want something?” your stomach lurches at the thought. 

“No, no. But you go eat.” You insist and he reluctantly leaves you alone. You snuggle back down in the blankets and fall back asleep. You wake up again sometime in the middle of the night and realize Fred is asleep next to you. You roll over and shimmy across the bed to rest your back against his stomach. Fred places his arm around your waist but doesn’t open his eyes. 

“You okay?” He asks through sleep. 

“Perfect right here,” you whisper back and fall asleep wrapped in your husband’s protective arms. An alarm wakes you up in the morning and Fred rolls over to turn it off. 

“I’m sorry. I forgot to turn it off.” He says when he sees your eyes open. 

“It’s okay.” You assure him with a smile. “I need to be up anyway. I’m meeting Ginny in a few hours.” You stretch and collapse back on the bed, smiling at your body’s reluctance to leave the warm covers. 

“How do you feel?” Fred rolls over and props his head on his hand. 

“I’m fine.” You lie and he knows it, but he doesn’t pressure you more. He kisses your forehead gently before going to take a shower. You hear the water start and you crawl out of bed and walk softly down the hall to the kitchen. When Fred reappears, you are sitting at the table with a cup of tea. 

“There's more on the stove. Didn’t want it to get cold,” You smile at him and he joins you at the table. You still feel tired, even after sleeping all day yesterday but you try to not let it show. After a quiet cup of tea, Fred heads downstairs to open the shop and you get ready to meet Ginny. When you come downstairs an hour later, she is sitting on the counter talking to her brothers. You laugh at how they all interact. 

“(y\n)! Ready?” Ginny smiles when she sees you and jumps off the counter. 

“Ready.” You assure her. Fred walks over and kisses you on the cheek before you walk out the door. 

“Are you sure?” He asks, but you know he isn’t asking if you are ready. He is asking if you feel okay. If you will be okay if he is not there to take care of you. 

“Yes,” You assure him and you and Ginny leave the shop. 

“Where do you want to go?” Ginny asks as soon as the door closes behind you. 

“I need to stop by Saint Mungo’s” You confess when you are out of earshot of the shop. “I didn’t want to worry Fred anymore though.” 

“A little over protective?” Ginny laughs and you remember that she grew up with Fred and knows how overprotective he can be. “What’s wrong?” she asks a little more seriously. 

“I think it is just a bug, but I feel like I should check…. After last time…” You fall silent because of course Ginny remembers last time you were sick. 

“Okay, well lets go there now and just get you checked out.” Always cheerful, Ginny grabs your arm and leads you to The Leaky Cauldron and the floo network. An hour later, you and Ginny step out of Saint Mungo’s and freeze on the front steps. 

“Fred’s never going to let you out of his sight now.” Ginny says bluntly before your eyes meet and she giggles. 

“Pregnant.” Is all you can say before Ginny hugs you tightly again. You are still in shock. You had been convinced it was a stomach bug, not morning sickness. 

“Ahh!” She squeals again and pulls away to face you. “I get to be AUNT GINNY!” you haven’t seen Ginny so excited since you showed her you were going to marry her brother again. You both laugh and you are grinning so much that your cheeks are starting to hurt. “Forget shopping. You need to go tell Fred!” Ginny pulls you to a nearby shop you know can connect to Diagon Alley. The two of you pop out of the fireplace at Leaky Cauldron and are already halfway to the shop when you stop her in the road. 

“Wait! How do I tell him?” You suddenly feel nervous and excited all at once. 

“Did he know you went to Mungo’s?” Ginny questions. 

“I said yesterday that I would, but I didn’t mention it this morning. So… no.” 

“You are grinning so much he will probably know as soon as you walk in anyway! Just tell him now.” Ginny insists and you know it is partially because she wants to see the look on her brother’s face. 

“Okay. Here goes nothing!” You laugh again and burst through the front door of the shop.

“Back already?” George calls down from his perch on a tall ladder. You see Fred step out of the storeroom at George’s words and you see worry on his face before his eyes find you in the busy shop. His eyebrows raise in question but you can’t hide your smile. You run across the room and throw yourself in his arms. 

“Fred! I’m pregnant!” You squeal and he drops the glass jar he was holding to throw his arms around you. 

“What?” He holds you at arm’s length and his face is covered in shock. 

“We just left Saint Mungo’s and I’m pregnant!” you reach up and hold his face in your hands. “Love, we are going to have a baby!” Tears fill his eyes but don’t spill out. 

“Oh my god. Oh my- wow. Oh.” Fred steps away from you and mutters to himself. He swishes his wand and cleans up the glass on the floor. He pulls a chair up and pushes you into it. “How are you feeling? Do you need anything?” He is pacing back and forth as if he keeps remembering more things he needs to do. You shoot a comical glance at George and Ginny who are watching from the other side of the counter. 

“Fred, mate, she isn’t sick. She’s pregnant! Kiss her for Pete’s sake!” You laugh and stand up to face Fred, who has frozen in place. 

“Fred, love?” You pull his attention back to you. “Are you happy?” you realize now that he hasn’t slowed down, hasn’t smiled since you told him. 

“Oh, darling.” He looks down at you and pulls your hand up to his lips to gently kiss it. “I have never been happier. I love you so much,” You throw your arms around his neck and kiss him on the lips this time. You pull away with a laugh when you remember George and Ginny standing nearby. 

“You have to come for supper and tell everyone! I’ll tell mum I invited you!” Ginny starts excitedly and George throws his arm over her shoulder. 

“Woah, slow down there! Let them decide when they tell! Fred’s only just found out himself!” Ginny laughs sheepishly. 

“Right… Sorry, Fred.” Ginny says. 

“I think it’s a great idea, Gin.” He smiles before turning back to you. “That is, if you feel up to it?” you smile and nod your approval and George and Ginny round the counter to congratulate the two of you again. Fred pulls you close and plants another kiss on the top of your head. You and Ginny spend the afternoon perched on the long shop counter watching the boys work. Fred keeps looking at you with the biggest smile on his face. George walks down the street to send owls to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to invite them to dinner too. 

Ginny left later that day to help Molly cook supper and you ventured upstairs to change clothes while the boys locked up the shop. You were standing at the mirror putting on lipstick when you caught Fred’s reflection in the mirror. He was leaning against the doorway watching you, but you didn’t hear him come upstairs. 

“Please don’t go to the hospital again without telling me.” He asked quietly. You suddenly felt guilty and furrowed your eyebrows as you turned to face him. 

“I’m sorry. I really didn’t think it was anything,” you tell him honestly. You walk over to him and grab his hand. 

“I’m not mad, I just…” he trails off and looks away. “I still have to remind myself that you are here, and you are mine.” He confesses. “I just worry.”

“I’m sorry, Fred. I forget sometimes what the last year has been like for you. I promise to tell you next time.” He pulls you close and you rest your head on his chest. 

“Thank you.” He whispers and holds you close for a long time. 

“Are you really happy?” You ask, giving voice to the fear that has held you all afternoon. 

“Yes, (y\n). I am happier than I ever remember being,” he said. “How far?” he asks a few minutes later. 

“What?” 

“How far along are you?” you pull away and look back up at him. 

“Ten weeks.” 

“And you really didn’t know?”

“No,” you shake your head, “I really didn’t know.” The two of you get ready and meet George downstairs to apparate to the Burrow. 

“Oh, (y\n), Dear! I’m so glad Ginny invited everyone tonight!” Molly hugs you at the door and Ginny makes a face at you from behind her back to show she has not revealed your secret. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all around the table too playing a game of Exploding Snaps. The twins join them but you help Molly prepare supper. After dinner, everyone moves outside to enjoy the warm spring night and Fred tells them your exciting news. Molly cries, as expected, but everyone else offers heartfelt congratulations. 

That night, you crawl in to bed late, exhausted but so, so happy. Fred lays behind you and pulls you close like he always does with one hand wrapped gently around your stomach and his face nestled in by your neck. 

“When you were hurt…. (y\n), I didn’t think I would ever get this moment with you.” Fred rarely talks about this and you lay still, barely daring to breath in the silence. “I thought the deatheater killed you that night at Hogwarts. Then I thought I lost you again when you couldn’t remember anything. (y\n), it was like my world stopped when you woke up in Mungo’s and didn’t know any of us.” His voice is barely more than a whisper. “I could barely stand to watch you at the house so I made George stay there and make sure you were safe since I… I couldn’t.” Here his voice breaks and you roll over to look at him. A single tear drops down his face and you wipe it off gently with your finger. “I thought I lost you.” 

“But you are here now, with me. Everything worked out fine. My love, I wouldn’t change anything because it brought us here.” You take his hand and place it over your stomach. There is no bump yet, but you know he understands what you mean. You curl up next to him and hold his hand in the dark. 

“I love you, (y\n).” he whispers. You eventually hear his breathing even out and you know he fell asleep next to you. 

You didn’t think it possible, but Fred becomes even more attentive to you in your pregnancy. He seems to always be nearby when you need something. You come home one night to find him and George in the floor of the living room trying to assemble a crib. You can’t help but stifle a laugh at the two men sprawled out on the floor with crib parts surrounding them. You only have a month and a half left, but it looks like it could take that long for them to complete the crib. 

You wake up one night a week later to a sharp pain in your stomach. You readjust in bed and realize there is a dark, wet spot where you had been laying. Panic starts to rise in your chest and you reach over to shake Fred. 

“Fred. Wake up. Wake up, Fred.” His eyes pop open when he hears the worry in your voice. 

“What? What is it?” he leans up on his elbow and looks at you. His voice is heavy with sleep. 

“I’m bleeding.” You motion to the spot on the sheets. Fred jumps out of bed and walks around to help you up. While you change, you hear him run out the door and bang on George’s door down the hall. 

“George!” You hear your panic reflected in his voice. “George! Wake up! We need you!” He rushes back in the room with George on his heels. “Get her coat,” Fred motions to the closet and drops to one knee to put shoes on your feet.

“What is it? What happened?” George asks while he brings your coat. But he sees the blood on the bed before you can answer. “Oh, god.” He breathes and fear covers his face. 

“Help me get her to Mungo’s,” Fred tells his brother and they position themselves on either side of you and help you stand. The boys guide you downstairs and apparate to the hospital as soon as you step out of the store. The stress is evident on Fred’s face and the pain in your stomach is getting worse. In the lobby, nurses meet you and roll you away on a stretcher. Panic has completely enveloped you and your breath is coming in quick, uneven gasps as your eyes focus on Fred standing there, his shoulders slumping. 

When you wake up, you are in a room alone. Your hand instinctively goes to your stomach and you let out a sign of relief when you still feel your baby there. A nurse walks in the room and smiles at you. 

“What happened?” you ask her. 

“Your baby tried to come too early. But we put in a few stitches and everything should be okay if you stay on bedrest until labor.”

“It’s okay?” you let out a sigh of relief. 

“Yes, everything should be okay. Do you want to see your husband? I think he may wear a hole in the floor with all his pacing.” She laughs quietly. You nod yes and only seconds later Fred walks in to the room, looking more tired and worried than you have ever seen him. 

“Oh, (y\n),” he drops to his knees next to your bed and takes your hand gently. “Are you okay?” he asks earnestly but you just nod your response. “You scared me so much.” He lets is head drop to rest on your hand and you place your other hand on his cheek to calm his shaking. 

“Everything is okay now. I have to stay on bedrest and you have to bring me anything I want,” You tried to sound happy and erase your worries for his sake. He looks up at you with such care that you feel tears sting your eyes and you have to blink to push them away. 

“Anything you want.” He repeats quietly. The two of you sit like this, holding hands, for a long time until there is a gentle knock on the door. A healer enters and tells you that you are free to go home if you stay on strict bedrest until your due date. Fred gently helps you to a wheelchair and downstairs. George is waiting at the car; they decided this would be a more gentle trip than apparating. The boys are so gentle with you and George drives home while Fred sits in the back seat with you. 

George pulls the car to a stop in front of the Leaky Cauldron and the two of them half-guide and half-carry you through the bar and down Diagon Alley to the shop. Here, Fred places his arms under your knees and gently picks you up and carries you upstairs to the bedroom. George leaves, muttering something about moving the car, and Fred helps you settle in. He asks over and over again if you need anything, but you just sink comfortably into the pillows and he sits on a chair next to you. You reach your hand out to him and he holds it gently, as if he is afraid this small touch will break you. 

“Get some sleep. I’ll stay right here,” he says quietly. 

“I know you are tired too. You were up all night,” you insist, but he shakes his head. “I’m fine. Sleep.” You obey and let your body sink down into the covers, relishing the feeling of your own bed and your husband nearby. 

When you wake up hours later, Fred is still in the chair by your bed, but his eyes are closed and his head has fallen over to one side. You smile a little seeing him like this. The bedroom door opens just slightly and George sticks his head inside. 

“Oh, sorry, (y\n),” he whispers when he sees you awake. “I was just bringing Freddie some tea,” you motion for him to come in and you push yourself up to a sitting position. Fred stirs a little beside you but doesn’t wake up. You point to the side of the bed and George sits down and hands you the tea. 

“Thanks,” you smile at him. He looks exhausted and you suddenly feel guilty remembering how he must have been up all night too. “For everything.” You add. 

“Can I get you anything?” George whispers. 

“This is perfect, thanks.” You smile and he sips his own cup. The tea is warm and sweet and helps calm you nerves. The two of you talk quietly for a few minutes before Fred wakes up. 

“Hey…. Hey. Sorry,” he rubs his eyes to wake himself up. “How do you feel?” He turns to you. 

“Fine, especially since I stole the tea George brought you,” you smirk at him playfully. 

“Thanks,” Fred tells his brother. 

“Mum sent an owl and said she was bringing dinner for everyone later. And said she could stay whenever if Fred wants her to.” George tells you both. 

“You don’t have to babysit me,” You tell the twins. “I’ll be fine up here alone while you work downstairs.”

“We will just see how it goes,” Fred says with a sigh. You know he and George must be exhausted. 

“Why don’t you both sleep for a while before Molly comes?” You suggest. “I know neither of you slept last night.” The boys exchange a knowing look and George gives in to your suggestion. 

“Fine, but I’ll leave my door open. Just yell if you need anything.” Then he turns his attention to you, “I’m serious. Anything. Just yell.” 

“Thanks, George.” You smile sweetly and he walks to the apartment across the hall. When he leaves, Fred takes his brother’s spot on the side of the bed and takes your hand in both of his. 

“How are you really, (y\n)?” He asks. 

“Really, Fred. I’m fine right now. I promise.” He leans down and kisses your hand gently. “Come over here,” you pat his side of the bed and he crawls in next to you. You settle into his shoulder like always, his protective arm draped gently around your shoulders. Fred leans his head on yours and you soon hear his breathing change to a deep, rhythmic pattern. He sleeps until George knocks quietly again to tell you Molly has arrived with dinner. You gently shake Fred awake and send him in to see his mum. A few minutes later, Molly walks in to your room. 

“(y\n), dear. How are you?” She stands beside your bed. 

“Hi, Molly.” You smile, happy to see her. “I’m okay right now. Thanks for bringing dinner. I don’t think either of them were up to cooking tonight.” 

“Oh, any time my dear, any time. Wasn’t a bother.” She sits in the chair and keeps you company until Fred carries in a bowl of soup for you. You visit with everyone for a while until Fred catches you stifling a yawn and insists it is time for bed. George and Molly leave and you snuggle down under the covers. You didn’t realize until just now how much the day had taken its toll on you, even after you slept this morning. You feel drained and exhausted from worry. Fred crawls in to bed next to you and his hand finds yours under the blankets. 

“Wake me up if you need anything.” He whispers as he kisses your forehead and falls asleep next to you. The next few weeks pass slowly. You have a visitor almost every afternoon and you get the feeling everyone is switching off which days they “stop by to say hello.” Ginny comes first, bringing a stack of baby clothes Molly had been saving. Harry and Hermione bring your favorite muffins one day and Harry entertains you with stories of his Auror training. Ron stops by a couple of times and challenges you to a round of Wizard Chess. He still beats you every time, but you are getting better after years of playing against each other. Besides them, Fred and George split their time between your bedroom and the shop below. Even when he goes down to work for a few hours, Fred is still back upstairs to check on you every thirty minutes. You feel guilty that he has to work so hard going between you and the shop and you know George must be picking up the slack in the shop. You confess this to him one night when he brings you tea while Fred cooks supper. 

“I’m sorry.” You say quietly. 

“For what?” George asks. 

“I know you are having to work harder in the shop since Fred is up here every night. And you help take care of me. Again. I just wish I could be the one helping the Weasley family for once.” 

“(y\n) Weasley, you are part of the family.” He emphasizes your new last name and you smile shyly. 

“Still, I don’t-“ you start but he interrupts you. 

“You aren’t a burden, or trouble, or anything. I’m only doing what older brothers do.” George winks at you and some of the fears are pushed aside. 

“Thanks, Uncle Georgie,” You both laugh at the new nickname. 

“I thought I could eat with you tonight,” Fred walks through the door and hands you a plate of food. George gets up to leave as Fred sits next to you on the bed.

“George!” You call after him and he turns around. “Bring yours back in here too and help me convince your brother that my baby names are perfect!” He smiles and returns soon with his own dinner. The three of you enjoy a quiet night of laughter and you realize that the boys needed this time together as much as you did. Time to just be family and share in the happy parts as well as the hard parts. Sometimes you forget that they are used to doing everything together and you have to remind yourself to invite George in to dinner or small things like that. 

A few days later you awoke with a distinct cramping in your abdomen. You instinctively moved aside to make sure it wasn’t happening again and Fred woke up when you moved.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” He asked as you stood up next to the bed. 

“I think I just had a contraction.” You confess breathlessly and Fred rolls over to turn on the lamp before he comes around to your side of the bed. “Woah,” you say as another one rolls through your body. 

“What can I do? Tell me how to help,” You hear the slightest twinge of panic in Fred’s voice. 

“Calm down,” you smile back at him and lean to place your hands on the side of the bed. “Saint Mungo’s said to get a healer when I go in to labor, just in case. Go send an owl to them.” You instruct. 

“Forget the owl….” Fred mutters and walks out the door and down the hall. “GEORGE!” You hear him yell and can’t help but laugh. Fred was getting his twin’s help instead and you can hear him banging on his brother’s apartment door.

“Don’t wake him up yet!” You yelled after your husband but you could already hear the two men talking outside. You take a deep breath as another contraction grips your body and wait for Fred to come back. The healer arrived soon, but it was a long day of labor for you. Fred never left your side. His hand was always there to grip when you were in pain and he rubbed the knots out of your shoulders between contractions. It was late that night before the healer asked him to leave the room. Fear suddenly gripped you harder than the contractions. 

“No!” You look at the healer. “Let him stay, please. He needs to be here.” The healer agrees and Fred moves on to the bed behind you. You lean against his chest, breathing hard, and grip his hands tightly. Soon, you are handed a pink, perfect baby girl. 

“Oh, my love, she’s perfect,” Fred whispers in your ear as your hold your daughter. “You are perfect,” his lips brush your cheek but he never looks away from the little bundle in your arms. Fred takes the baby while the healer helps you clean up and readjust on the bed. Now propped up by pillows and covered with clean sheets, Fred settles back on the bed next to you. His movements are more gentle than you have ever seen before. You lean against his arm and stare at your perfect daughter. 

“We need a name,” you whisper to him. 

“What about Annie?” He asked you, his eyes meeting yours for the first time. 

“Annie Love Weasley.” You say back and his smile widens. “It’s perfect.” You sit like this for a long time before Fred says he needs to tell the family. He returns first with George, who looks more proud than you have ever seen him. He holds his niece as gently as you had and you are glad that Fred took this moment to bring George up first. You know their bond is deeper than you can understand and George has been there constantly to help care for you. Soon, the rest of the family filters in to see baby Annie. You are tired, but beaming with joy at her safe arrival. They don’t stay long so you can rest and spend time alone together.   
“I’ll hold her while you get some sleep.” Fred says when he sees your eyes drooping from the exhaustion of the day. 

“No, it’s fine. You have been up as long as I have,” You try to insist but you know it isn’t very convincing. 

“(y\n), sleep. I promise to stay right here. We will stay right here.” He gently lifts Annie from your arms and you let yourself relax against the pillows, exhausted but perfectly happy.


End file.
